The Calm Before The Storm
by Elionu
Summary: AU. Eleven years ago, Voldemort decided to tone down his war. Nobody knows why, but many link Voldemort's change in strategy to the death of Albus Dumbledore around the same time. The Wizarding World waits in fear for the day in which Voldemort decides to try once again. What is he waiting for? Meanwhile two boys of prophecy prepare to enter Hogwarts...
1. Prologue

**The Calm Before The Storm**

 _Eleven years ago, Voldemort decided to tone down his war. Hostilities still happen, but nowhere near as bad as they once were. Nobody knows why, but many link Voldemort's change in strategy to the death of Albus Dumbledore around the same time. The Wizarding world waits in fear for the day in which Voldemort decides to try once again. What is he waiting for? Meanwhile two boys of prophecy prepare to enter Hogwarts..._

Disclaimer: I do not own _Harry Potter_ , or anything related. All of this is the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling. I am simply playing in her sandbox.

* * *

24th March, 1980

 _The One with the Power to vanquish the Dark Lord Approaches…_

Albus Dumbledore ruminated on what he had heard not a week previously in the Hog's Head. One of two children, destined to defeat Voldemort. Until last week, Albus was skeptical about the value of Divination, but when he heard the seer- Professor Trelawney, now- go rigid, and speak as if she were nothing more than a conduit for a Higher Power, well, Albus now was a believer. And he was certain Voldemort was, too. Now, how to use that against him…?

 _Crack!_

A cloaked man approached Albus from down the winding road he was walking past. This wouldn't be out of the ordinary- lots of people apparate around the orchards near Hogsmeade, but this man quickly stumbled towards Albus, and fell to his knees. The man's hood slipped off. It was Severus Snape, the boy who Aberforth caught spying on him during the job interview.

"What do you want?" Albus coldly asked.

The anguish on Snape's face was palpable.

"Dumbledore… the prophecy… I did not know… Lily!"

"Speak up, why are you here in such a state?"

Snape took a deep breath, and tried again.

"Sir, I reported the prophecy to the Dark Lord, but I did not know he would target Lily's child!"

"And why should that matter to you? Still clinging to a schoolboy crush?"

Snape was gobsmacked. Evidently he wasn't expecting this cold reception

"Sir…" he began again, "Please, I beg of you. Save Lily for me… and her child, of course… Please… I'll do anything…"

Albus was intrigued. "Anything?" he asked

"Anything!"

Albus extended a hand. It would be his final mistake.

Snape took Dumbledore's outsretched hand, and both suddenly swirled away into the night.

Disoriented, Albus looked around, but couldn't see much more than a grand, yet dimly lit room, before someone shouted " _Stupefy!_ " and all went black.

* * *

When Albus woke, he felt very weak. He had been strapped to a chair, facing the self-styled Lord Voldemort himself, in his throne, twirling the Elder Wand in between his long, bony fingers. Surrounding them both was a crowd of wizards and witches in black cloaks and masks. One stood closer to Voldemort than the rest.

"Ah, yes." Began Voldemort, in the high pitch his voice changed into, becoming as serpentine as his face had, over the years. "Albus Dumbledore. Defeater of Grindelwald. Leader of the Light. The only man I ever feared. Well, no longer!"

The crowd laughed.

"Look at him now! Tied to a chair and unable to escape, like a common Muggle!"

Voldemort turned to address him.

"I hope you noticed you can no longer access your magic. One of the experimental potions Severus cooked up for me. Yes, you almost thought he would turn traitor for a Mudblood whore. You sentimental old fool. Pity is your downfall."

He turned to the Death Eater standing closest.

"Severus, come here, would you? I have need of your talents again."

The man walked forward, no longer in anguish- was all that merely an act? He bowed.

"What does My Lord request of me?"

"Severus, I need the _other_ potion you're carrying on you at the moment. Give it to Dumbledore, whether he likes it or not."

A wave of Snape's wand later, and Albus' head was paralyzed, unable to stop three drops of clear liquid dropped down his throat. He recognized the effects of Veritaserum taking hold over him, before his head was released. But by then, he could not resist. Normally he could, but with the effects of whatever potion Voldemort had used to bind his magic, Albus was helpless. His eyes glazed over, and he expressionlessly looked at Voldemort, waiting questioning against his will.

"What is your name?" asked Voldemort

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore"

"How old are you?"

"Ninety-eight years of age"

"State the full contents of the prophecy you witnessed on the sixteenth of March?"

Unable to resist, despite all attempts to struggle, Albus could only submit and recite what he had heard, as Voldemort and his followers watched.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."

Eagerly, Voldemort went on.

"Do you have any guesses as to who the prophecy applies to?"

"It could apply to one of two children, both due to be born at the end of this upcoming July, the child of the Potters, and the child of the Longbottoms. Both couples have defied you three times."

"Where are the Potters and the Longbottoms presently?"

"I have not been informed of their locations. I was going to suggest they hide under the Fidelius Charm, but as I have not yet informed them, it is not safe for them to stay in one place for any given period of time. No one save their friends and family know where they are."

Disappointed at this lack of information, but not willing to waste the opportunity to gain valuable information from Dumbledore, Voldemort pressed on.

"Where is the current Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix?"

"Hogwarts."

"Who beyond this room knows the full contents of the prophecy?"

"James Potter, Lily Potter, Frank Longbottom, and Alice Longbottom."

"How did you inform them if they are in hiding?"

"A method of communication I invented that cannot be intercepted or falsified."

"Who else knows about the prophecy?"

"The Unspeakables, Aberforth Dumbledore, Augusta Longbottom, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew."

"Who are your spies in my ranks?"

"I have none."

Looking satisfied, Voldemort signaled Snape again, who poured the Veritaserum antidote down Dumbledore's throat. Albus immediately lost the glazed look from his eyes, and looked around sharply, glaring at Voldemort.

"Well, old man, as you have realized by now, I have all the answers I need from you. Your information has been extremely helpful. To think I nearly brought about my own downfall by marking an infant."

And with no more evidence than a flash of green light, Albus Dumbledore was no more.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

September 1st, 1991

In another world, Harry James Potter might have been a legend. But in this world, he was sitting at home, eating breakfast with his parents and siblings. Today was a special day. Today, he would be starting at Hogwarts, and he was so excited, he could barely sit still.

Someone looking in the window of the Potters' nondescript home in Godric's Hollow would see what appeared to be an ordinary family of six- a loving couple who looked to be about age thirty, and four children chattering happily. Fortunately, nobody was looking in the window, because the Potters were definitely not an ordinary family. Lily and James Potter had lived in the village for ten years, settling down once it was clear that Voldemort was no longer targeting them. While they seemed to all their Muggle neighbors to be ordinary folks, their Wizarding neighbors knew Mr. Potter as a former auror who co-ran his business, PMP from home while being a stay-at-home-dad, while Mrs. Potter was known as the youngest witch to hold a dual Mastery, and the Potions mistress at Hogwarts.

Their eldest son, Harry, had turned eleven a month ago, and was fit to burst with excitement. It took all his self-control to not wolf down his eggs and sausages as fast as he could, and drag his parents out the door. For one thing, it was only seven-thirty, and they had plenty of time, and for another, his parents weren't even dressed yet.

"Can I be excused, Mum?" he asked, eager to finish packing.

"Yes, dear, just make sure you wash your hands!" answered Mrs. Potter, as Harry darted back upstairs.

"Can I go too, Mum?" asked her other son, Joseph, who, at the age of seven, was eager to be just like his big brother. This was echoed with a chorus of "please, please, please" from Elizabeth and Eleanor.

With three pairs of eyes watching her for confirmation, Lily smiled.

"Yes, alright, you may all be excused too."

At various speeds, her three younger children sped off, red and black haired blurs running in various directions.

An hour later, the Potters were packing up the car, something that few Wizarding families owned, but the Potters did, so the neighbors didn't start wondering how they got their shopping done without one. Just to keep up appearances, Harry was dressed in something that resembled a Muggle secondary school uniform, because they had told their Muggle friends that Harry was off to the exclusive school for gifted children Lily taught at. Of course, _this_ car also never ran out of fuel, and was much larger on the inside, but nobody told the neighbors about that.

* * *

Two hours and no disasters later, they had arrived at Kings Cross, with a half-hour to spare. Crossing the barrier into Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters and getting Harry's luggage into a compartment was simple, so the small family had time to interact with their friends while they waited. Eleanor was only five, and not allowed to wander off yet, but Joseph and Lizzie, being older, were allowed to go talk to their friends their ages once they spotted them. It wasn't odd to see groups of eight and seven year olds near their parents, but separate enough to give them the feeling of being on their own.

"Neville!" shouted Harry, as he ran to see his best friend in the whole wide world. Harry and Neville had been friends since birth, being born only a day apart. Their parents were friends too, since even before the Ceasefire happened.

In another world, Neville Longbottom would have been a timid boy, mentally scarred from the traumatic torture of his parents right in front of him, thought to be a squib, and expected by his grandmother to be someone he wasn't. Here, though, his parents were both well and happy their eldest son was going off to Hogwarts, so Neville was confident, but not brash.

"Harry, guess what!" said Neville, just as excited as Harry was. "I got an owl for my birthday! Great-uncle Algie was going to get me a toad, but Dad thought that was ridiculous, so I got an owl to write home! I named him Archimedes. Isn't that exciting?"

Harry looked thrilled.

"I got an owl too, her name is Hedwig! When Dad took me to Diagon Alley for my school supplies, she flew from one of the perches onto my head and glared at the shopkeepers who tried to get her off. Guess that meant she liked me, so Dad got her for me!"

They continued sharing stories together, until the whistle blew signaling only five minutes until the train left, so Harry went back to his family. Eleanor was crying, while Lizzie was pouting.

"Stop it, Lizzie dear", said Harry's Dad. "You'll see Harry and your Mum for Christmas, and they'll write back often.

"But I want to go to Hogwarts too! Why do I have to wait?"

Crouching so as to be eye level with Lizzy, Mum tried to console her.

"Lizzie, you just have to wait. You're not old enough yet, you'll get your turn. Remember I told you why not to be jealous, right? How your Aunt Petunia couldn't go, and was so jealous she started to hate all magic people?"

Nodding, Lizzie, seemed to get a grip on herself. Next to her, Harry was hugging Eleanor, who didn't want her big brother to go away.

Stepping onto the train, Harry tried for a decent sounding goodbye, but it came out oddly.

"I'll see you all for Christmas! Except for Mum, who I'll see later. But still, bye!"

His dad laughed, and his family waved. He waved at them- the train was moving, they were moving faster and faster, and the tunnel at the end of the platform cut off his view of the people.

* * *

Entering the compartment where he put his luggage, Harry sat down, and started to look out the window, wondering what it would be like to fly on his dad's broom alongside the train. A few minutes later, the compartment door opened, and in came Neville, followed by a girl who looked about their age. She was already in her school robes, and had bushy brown hair, and big brown eyes.

"Hi again, Harry" began Neville. "This is Hermione. She doesn't know anyone yet, and I found her sitting by herself, so I asked her if she wanted to join us, and she said yes."

Now having his full attention, Harry stood and introduced himself.

"I'm Harry Potter."

"I'm Hermione Granger" said the girl, excitedly.

They sat down.

"This is all so exciting," she began at a rapid-fire pace of speech. "I just learned about all this a few months ago, and there's oh so much to _learn_ and not enough books to read, I mean it's _amazing_ , a whole separate secret world alongside the normal world, and do you think I'll know enough magic since I haven't been raised in it, I've learned all my course books by heart of course, I just hope it'll be enough, and what House do you two think you'll be in, I've heard Headm-"

Harry cut her off.

"Slow down, Hermione." He began. She stopped eager to hear something from the magical point of view.

"Did you really memorize all our textbooks?" asked Neville, worried. "Because I didn't, do you think we'll get in trouble if we don't come in knowing as much as possible?"

"No," said Harry, "but my mum said that when she first came, she thought all the magical-raised kids would already know a lot of magic and she'd have to catch up, but she didn't. It must be just something the muggle-born kids think."

"Oh." Hermione seemed relieved. "Well I want to learn as much as I can anyway."

Turning to Neville, Harry asked

"Hey, do you know how we get sorted? My mum and dad won't tell me, they say it's a surprise. My Uncle Sirius was saying we have to pull a rabbit out of a hat, but Uncle Remus said that that's a joke and you can't pull rabbits from hats until seventh year."

Neville shook his head.

"Oh, so you don't know either? Hogwarts, a History doesn't say."

They continued conversing in this manner for a while. Hermione, while certainly well read, seemed to have a lot of misconceptions about the magical world from the stuff Muggles thought magic was about, and a lot of the books left stuff about magical culture out. Neville knew a lot about magical culture because his family was one of the Old Families, but he knew next to nothing about muggles except what he learned visiting Harry's family. Harry's mum and dad tried very hard to teach their kids about both worlds, so for now he was just listening, when the compartment door opened.

"Anything off the trolley?"

It was an old lady with a cart full of candy and a stack of newspapers. Hermione insisted that she didn't want any candy since her parents were dentists (which required an explanation, since wizards use a spell to clean their teeth), but she was interested in the newspapers, which were apparently a recent addition to the cart. Harry and Neville decided to get a whole lot of candy, just in case Hermione got curious and wanted to try something. Sure enough, she was fascinated with the chocolate frog cards. Apparently muggles had trading cards too, but none were educational like these were.

"Oh look, it's Dumbledore. I read a book about him".

Harry read off the card:

"Considered by many to be the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore was particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of Dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Also notable is that his death in 1980 coincided with The Ceasefire."

"What's The Ceasefire?" asked Hermione. "There's not a lot of information in any books I found. Just that a man whose name they won't print stopped his reign of terror eleven years ago."

"That's about as much as anybody knows" said Harry. "Lord Voldemort-" Neville shuddered

"Honestly Neville, it's probably not even his real name- anyway, Hermione, Voldemort started a war back in the seventies all about blood purity. See, he's part of a group of purists and according to these guys, if you're not what they call 'pure-blood', like Neville, you don't deserve to live. Apparently he based it off the philosophy of a muggle Grindelwald worked with, called Hitler."

"So he's a racial supremacist?"

"Er, I guess so. If that means some people are better than others, because that's what these people say. Anyway, Voldemort and his followers, he called them Death Eaters-"

"That makes sense," Hermione interjected. "After all, Voldemort is French for flees-from-death."

"Really? Cool. So these people started an all-out war against Wizarding Britain, and just when it seemed like we were going to lose, Voldemort stopped. It was right before me and Neville were born. He declared that he was going to stop openly fighting and killing civilians, but if anyone entered the Pure Zone, they'd die. Dad says he's waiting for something, but nobody knows what."

Hermione was silent for a moment, ruminating, until she asked "So what's Dumbledore got to do with all this?"

Neville answered this time.

"Well, Dumbledore used to be the headmaster of Hogwarts, the leader of the Wizengamot, and the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW, so he was basically the most powerful wizard in the world"

Ignoring Hermione's outraged look at the idea that someone could get away with having so much power, Neville went on.

"Then back in March of 1980, Dumbledore vanished. The next day, his body was found by the Hogwarts gates, all the signs of the Killing Curse, that's what my parents say, with a note stuck to his robes saying 'Here lies your hero, I won't make another one'. That same day, You-Know-Who issued The Ceasefire, so everybody thinks it's connected."

Neville leaned forward as if about to reveal a secret. In a much quieter voice he said, looking at Harry.

"I overheard my parents talking about a prophecy, and how it explains the note, but they won't give me any details. They said they don't want to worry me, but apparently it's about both me and you."

Harry smiled. "So we've got a big secret, and a mystery. It sounds like an adventure right out of a story! We should investigate some more. I hope we'll all be in the same House…"

"Is that important?" asked Hermione

"Some people won't be friends with anybody outside their Houses," replied Harry. "Slytherins hate Gryffindors and Gryffindors hate Slytherins, Ravenclaws keep to themselves, and Hufflepuffs try to be friendly to everyone, but they're often thought of as wimps. But mum says houses don't matter because it's about personality traits, not good or evil."

"Slytherins also tend to be blood purists." Neville added.

"Okay then, how about we promise to be friends, no matter what Houses we end up in." said Hermione. "I like you two, and it'd be sad if customs wouldn't allow me to be your friend. I've never had friends before."

"Deal!" the two boys agreed. They then turned the subject to lighter things, such as Quidditch. Hermione seemed baffled that there was only one sport, and no running involved. They continued to go through the pile of sweets.

"So what do your parents do?" asked Hermione

"Well my parents are aurors." Neville stated.

"Aurors?"

"Like wizarding police." Harry interjected. "My dad used to be one too, but once The Ceasefire happened, he started the Prongs-Moony-Padfoot company with his friends, they invent things. My mum teaches Potions at Hogwarts, has done so for ten years. My dad tends to do a lot of work from home, so he can take care of me and my siblings, so he and his friends have a workshop out back where they invent things like magical tape players."

"Your dad runs that company? I had no idea! I saw their store in Diagon Alley, and thought they had a lot of interesting items, since most of the rest of the magical world seems to be stuck in the 19th century" said Hermione, on the verge of a rant.

"Er yeah, Hermione, we know. Before I told him, Neville had no idea that the muggles went to the moon!"

* * *

Their conversations went on in this vein. The sky was getting dark. In their discussion, none of them had noticed the lights coming on. They were startled when a voice came into their compartment, like a muggle intercom, informing them that the train would arrive in Hogsmeade Station in twenty minutes. Quickly, the boys shooed Hermione out so they could change into their robes. When they finished and poked their heads out of the compartment to invite her in, Harry and Neville were each grabbed roughly by large, meaty hands, and shoved in front of a blond boy with a pale, pointed face. He was sneering at Hermione, who was glaring back at him. It seems she got a good whack at him, judging by the way the boy was rubbing his shoulder.

"Ah, so we have the Mudblood's keepers!" drawled the boy.

Harry started to rush at the boy, but was held in place by one of the two that grabbed him earlier, looking to his left he could see Neville was fighting the other one.

"Temper, temper." Said Pale Boy. "You're Longbottom and Potter, aren't you? Yes, I've seen pictures of your parents, blood traitors and a mudblood. You would do better to try and improve your status, by making friends with the right sort of people. I can help you there."

Pale Boy held out a hand. Neither of them took it.

"That's right, I haven't introduced myself yet", he said, in his annoying voice. "The name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." He gestured at the other two, who immediately released Harry and Neville, moving to flank Malfoy so they could see them. "This is Crabbe and Goyle." Crabbe and Goyle looked like gorilla-human hybrids, huge and stupid looking; they seemed to be Malfoy's bodyguards. Knowing about pureblood culture, they probably were.

Notably, Malfoy was ignoring Hermione.

Harry glared at Malfoy.

"I know who you are." Harry near-shouted. "Your father's right in Voldemort's inner circle! Sorry, but I don't associate with people who support the Death Eaters. You insulted my mother and my friend. If there's a right sort of people, you aren't part of it!"

Malfoy sneered at him.

"You're going to regret that, Potter! Have you met Weasley yet? You'd get along, a bunch of blood traitors who don't know their place!"

He spun and attempted to walk away in a dignified way, but ended up stomping down the corridor.

"C'mon Hermione", said Neville, gently. "Let's go back into our compartment"

Hermione, for her part, looked stunned.

"I can't believe someone could be so rude!"

"Remember when we were talking about blood supremacists earlier, Hermione?" Harry asked. "He's one of them, the worst sort. Don't worry, not all purebloods are like him. If he calls someone a blood traitor, it's likely they're a decent person, at least in regards to the whole blood thing."

* * *

Soon after, they had arrived at the station. It was bedlam. Everybody was trying to get off the train at once, and Harry had to hold hands with Neville and Hermione to make sure they all stayed together (never mind that holding hands is _girly_ ). As instructed by the magical intercom, they left their luggage and owls behind. A gruff voice shouted from their right.

"A'right, firs' years! Firs' years o'er here please! C'mon, would all the firs' years come o'er here? C'mon, this way, firs' years."

It was a giant of a man, twice as tall as a normal man. Many of the other first years, who had by this point congregated by the giant, seemed a bit frightened, but to Harry, he seemed friendly enough.

"Right you lot, I'm Hagrid. I'm the Keeper o' the Keys here at Hogwarts. Come wi' me, We'll head up t' the castle."

Hagrid led them down a path towards a group of boats at the edge of a lake. Having been instructed that they were to sit four to a boat, the three of them got into a boat and were joined by a blond boy, who introduced himself as "Tony". Hagrid had his own boat.

"Right, forward!" he commanded, and the boats moved forward on their own, no rowing necessary. They passed under an ivy-covered bridge, and had their first view of Hogwarts. Nothing prepared any of them for how incredible the sight was- a magnificent, enormous castle well-lit from the inside, on an outcropping of rock over the lake.

Eventually, they reached the end of their journey, and walked up a flight of stairs towards a set of massive doors, which Hagrid knocked on. A few moments later, the door was opened, and at first they didn't see anyone. Then they noticed Hagrid looking down, and noticed that in front of them was a little man of indeterminate age, who looked both serious and comical at the same time.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" said the man, who was apparently pleased to be greeting the new students, of which there were about forty. "I am Professor Flitwick, Deputy Headmaster here at Hogwarts. In a few minutes, you will be Sorted, an ancient tradition that has occurred every year since the time of the Founders. There are four Houses: Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. Each House values different traits. Once you are sorted, your house will become as a second family to you. Your achievements will be rewarded through a points system, which determines the winner of the annual House Cup. You will attend classes, eat meals, and spend free time with your fellow Housemates. Hopefully, your house will truly become your family. Please wait here."

Professor Flitwick walked off across the foyer through the door at the other end. Only a few moments later, he returned.

"Please follow me."

They followed him, as the doors opened by themselves (it seemed) and they all entered a very large hall with very tall windows all along the sides. There were four long tables, and Harry and the rest of the new students were led between two of them to the other end of the hall, where a fifth long table sat on a raised dais. Floating candles hovered above everyone's heads, topped by with what seemed like the night sky, but what Hermione was telling him was actually a roof enchanted to look like the sky outside. There seemed to be somewhere around three hundred students in the hall, and all of them were watching a stool with a hat on it, at the front of the hall. Flitwick stopped, and so did the rest of the new students. The air of anticipation was so thick one could almost feel it.

As everybody else was watching the hat, Harry did too. This turned out to be the right thing, as the hat moved, and started to sing through a rip near its brim. The song was kind of dorky, but the gist of it seemed to be that a thousand years ago, the Founders made that hat to impartially sort students into houses, that Gryffindor was for brave people, Hufflepuff was for loyal people, Ravenclaw was for smart people, and Slytherin was for cunning people. All you had to do would be to put on the hat and it would sort you. Instantly, all the first years began wondering the same thing: "Do I fit into any of these categories?"

Flitwick cleared his throat.

"When I call your name, you will sit on the stool, put the hat on your head, and once you are sorted, you will join your new House."

The Houses seemed to be color-coded, which Harry supposed made it easier to figure out which table to go to.

"Abbott, Hannah!"

A nervous, blonde haired girl walked up to the stool, and put on the hat. After a minute or so, it shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!" and Hannah joined the table which was clapping and cheering. Harry noticed that once she got up, the lining on her robes became yellow.

"Bones, Susan" became a Hufflepuff, "Boot, Terry" and "Brocklehurst, Mandy" became Ravenclaws, "Brown, Lavender" became a Gryffindor, and "Bullstrode, Millicent" became a Slytherin. On and on it went. The boy from the boat, apparently "Goldstein, Anthony", became a Ravenclaw, and then one of the gorillas from the train became a Slytherin, then it was Hermione's turn. She eagerly jammed the hat upon her head, which took several minutes to place her in Gryffindor. Neville too, became a Gryffindor, and Malfoy became a Slytherin.

Eventually it was Harry's turn. He put the hat on, and heard a little voice inside his head murmur to him.

"Ah yes, Mister Potter. You expect to be in Gryffindor of course, all your family has been in there. But you also seem to have traits perfect for Ravenclaw and Slytherin too. But what's this? I see not an hour ago you rejected the possibility of climbing up the social ladder to defend your new friend from a bully. That takes real courage. Best be GRYFFINDOR!"

This last word the hat shouted to the whole hall. Harry smiled as the table furthest to the right applauded, and he went to join Hermione and Neville and the other Gryffindor first years. The sorting was almost finished, and two more boys joined them in Gryffindor, before the sorting ended.

There were a few murmurs, until the witch in the middle of the head table stood up. She looked to be middle aged, and just the sort of person a teacher should be- having a commanding presence that makes everyone pay attention at once. She seemed the sort of person not to cross.

"Good evening. For our new students, I am Professor McGonagall, Headmistress of this school. Before we begin our feast, there are a few announcements. First, we have a new teacher, Professor Donahue, who will be teaching Defense against the Dark Arts. For those who are not yet aware, the Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden, as many dangerous creatures live there. The full and updated list of prohibited items can be found on the office door of Mr. Filch, the school's caretaker. That is all for now. Now, dig in."

She sat down, and theatrically, food appeared on the table. It was a magnificent feast- the eyes of the first years widened, and they all, as directed, dug in.

The first years, taking advantage of the fact they were all sitting together, introduced each other. Aside from Harry, Neville, and Hermione, there was Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, Sophie Roper, and Sally-Anne Perks.

* * *

Once the feast had finished, they were led away by a red-haired Prefect, who Ron Weasley said was his brother Percy. The path was long, and Harry was tired, and so wasn't really paying much attention, and before he knew it, they had reached a portrait of a fat woman in a pink dress. Apparently this was some sort of door, as the portrait asked for a password. It was given, and they entered.

"Welcome to the Gryffindor Common Room" announced Percy the Prefect. "You will see two staircases over there; they lead to your dormitories. The one on the left is for the boys; the one on the right is for the girls. Be sure to come back down tomorrow by seven o'clock, as there is a mandatory House meeting, where you will meet our Head of House, and she will outline some of the rules, provide you with your schedules, and some directions to get to your classes."

He shooed them towards the stairs. Harry and Neville went up, to find a door labelled "First Years". They entered, and inside were five canopy beds, each with their luggage at the foot. They quickly changed and went to bed. Harry fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.


End file.
